Making mountains out of molehills seems to be our specialty. Have you heard it said that to an addict, a flat tire is a traumatic event? Or how about those of us who forget all pretense of principle when confronted with a bad driver? And what about that can opener that won't work, you know, the one you just threw out the second story window? We can relate when we hear others share, "God, grant me patience right now!"

No, it's not the major setbacks that drive us to distraction. The big things-divorce, death, serious illness, the loss of a job-will throw us, but we survive them. We've learned from experience that we must reach out to our Higher Power and others to make it through life's major crises. It's the small things, the constant day-to-day challenges of living life without the use of drugs, that seem to affect most addicts most strongly in recovery.

When the little things get to us, the Serenity Prayer can help us regain our perspective. We can all remember that "turning over" these small matters to the care of our Higher Power results in peace of mind and a refreshed perspective on life.

After living in turmoil and fear for so long, the warm and welcoming atmosphere we found in NA meetings may have been puzzling at first. Some of us wondered if we were in the wrong place. We watched as members jumped in to help set up chairs and greeted each other with hugs. This behavior was unfamiliar and yet strangely compelling. Despite our suspicions, we wanted to find out more.

Some of us looked for excuses to leave or for reasons that we didn't belong but found ourselves relating nevertheless. One member recalled, "I heard the speaker share about the despair that brought her to rock bottom. She gave voice to my own fears and regrets. It was a moment of clarity for me: I was not alone in my struggles."

It dawns on us that NA members understand the desperation and isolation of active addiction because they've lived it. They found a way out and a new way to live. We begin to hope that the solution they found would work for us too.

Over time, we come to appreciate what once confused us. We grow to value what we see and hear in meetings. We follow the lead of more experienced home-group members and participate in some of our meetings' unity-building practices: We welcome new members, empathize with each other's struggles, and celebrate the milestones of recovery. We notice what unity does for individual members as well as for the group—the way we treat each other contributes to a vibrant atmosphere of recovery in which members and groups thrive.